Equine Nutrition is a vast subject and can be very confusing!
There are an array of different feeds on the market as well as many different views as to what is right and wrong.
For the barefoot horse nutrition is key to growing a sound, good hoof and for the healthy body and digestive system that is essential for any equine.

Horses have evolved to be virtually continually on the move, foraging little and often on poor quality fibre based grazing.
In captivity, horses are often given ''sweet'' feed - high in sugar, starch, additives, preservatives, chemicals and food waste products, as well as being provided with a pasture that is far too lush and often chemically treated for their digestive systems to stay healthy. Horses cannot fully digest the types of carbohydrates that are found in these sweet feeds, so the carbs pass directly through to the hind gut, where they ferment into lactic acid. It is believed that if there is too much acid present in the small intestine then the enzyme process does not funtion properly.
A high sugar/starch feed and/or lush pasture disrupts insulin levels and blood sugar levels, often resulting in laminitis, insulin resistancy, colic, ulcers, full blown founder, weak hooves and lamness - to name but a few!

In my experience as a barefoot trimmer, there are a few things that we as owners can do to help our horses - and their hooves - become healthier again.

STOP feeding

• Cereals - horses are unable to digest these properly. Barley, maize and corn are NOT naturally occuring in a horses diet. To even partially digest these cereals the gut requires a higher level of gut fluid than is needed for other more natural feedstuff.  It will get that fluid by drawing it in from surrounding tissues which can result in a dehydrated horse. If you need to feed a cereal, the safest and most natural to feed is whole oats (see reasons below)
• Molassed anything - this introduces too much sugar. If you look at the back of the feed bag before you buy it, almost all feeds are molassed - avoid these! Be aware - MOST OF THE FEEDS THAT ARE RECOMMENDED FOR LAMINITICS ARE STILL MOLASSED. Even most of the licks on the market are molassed. Usually if a feed is mollased it also has a mould inhibitor to raise the shelf life - this mould inhibitor also kills off gut flora.
• The Lucerne family. This includes alfa, peas and clover. The Lucerne family do not occur in any large quantities naturally in a horses diet, and are far too rich as a feedstuff. Alfa is one of the best sources of calcium, but it is so rich in calcium that it can overload the body with calcium and may hinder the absorption of phosphorus, zinc and other essential minerals. These minerals are vital for a healthy body - and hoof! Pea does not occur naturally in a horses diet, and a free roaming horse would never access the amounts of clover that occurs in some of our pastures.
• Chemicals, preservatives, additives, mould inhbitors. For the same reason that they are not good for us, they are not good for your horse. Some preservatives put into feeds are also thyroid inhibitors - so if you have a fat horse, he/she is probably going to get even fatter! Mould inhibitors are antimicrobial - i.e they kill microbes - so what happens when they are ingested by the horse? They kill off gut flora.
• Oatfeed and Wheatfeed. These are both waste products, and are just the husks of the oat or wheat kernels that have been ground up. The husk contains the highest concentration of chemicals, as this is where the chemical sits when the crop is sprayed.
• Sugarbeet. Though crop companies have tried in the past, this crop just cannot be grown organically and is decimated by pests. It is sprayed with chemicals numerous times before harvest
• Horsehage/Haylage - there are micotoxin concerns with this type of rich forage. It is not always possible to avoid if hay is very scarce, but consider giving a detoxification if you have to feed it.

Options to feed

• A good vitamin and mineral supplement. Avoid the supplements that are molassed and have derivatives of cerals and lucerne or additives in them.
• Non molassed vitamin and mineral licks are a good option to put in the field or paddock, allowing the horse to ''self medicate''
• If you have an oldie, or a horse that needs a slightly wet feed, use non molassed sugarbeet (it is completely white)but bear in mind that sugarbeet is not organic and often chemically sprayed several times before harvest. If you have a sensitive laminitic for example the chemicals may be a problem.
• Feeds that are high fibre, non cereal, low sugar, low starch.
• Organic Oats - they have a 90% starch digestibility compared to around 30% starch digestibility of other cereals (i.e other cereals require far more stomach acid to be broken down) Whole oats are preferable to crushed or rolled, as there is a good nutritional fat and fibre value in the husk as well. Oats have a good oil content (7%) and are usually highly appreciated by the horse! Keep the oats to max 500g per day, as it is believed that any more may effect the PH balance in the gut.
• Good timothy or meadow mix hay. Some hay producers will spray their hay with preservatives - avoid these.
• Good water. It may be of interest to check/test your water to know what you have - most of us don't!

Other ideas

• When we feed a supplement we tend to mix it into the horses feed, and he eats it by default. Start putting the supplement in a bowl on its own, and see if your horse eats it. If he shows no interest, he does not need the supplement at that time. If you try again a few days later, your horse may lick the bowl clean. Allowing your horse to use his natural, inbuilt self selection skills can usually save you alot of money!
• Hedgerows, verges and country lanes are all good places to hunt for herbs, shrubs, plants and trees that are beneficial to your horse. If your horse has an opportunity to pick at foilage whilst walking to and from his turnout - you may be surprised at what he chooses, and it can even help you understand more about what your horse requires. For example, Meadowsweet has anti inflammatory properties and Comfrey encourages healing of bone and tissue.  The book ''Feeding Herbs to Horses'' by Wendy and Terry Jennings is a good reference when identifying plants and herbs with beneficial properties.
• A specialized charcoal supplement can be fed to absorb toxins, normalize the gut PH balance and allow the body time to recover and move forward.

Grazing

• Rich pasture is something that causes most of our horses problems. Without us realising it, our horses may be walking around with low grade laminitis and digestive problems. The natural horse lives on poor grazing whilst on the move, and what is provided for our captive equines is usually far to lush, and far too easily accessible. Excessive grass can create a build up of sugars in the horses system - leading on to laminitis, hoof problems, colic etc.
• Pastures are even worse when they have been sprayed with chemicals - or even when chemicals have blown over from fields nearby. In the last few decades the increased use of Nitrate based fertilizers have made some grazing totally unhealthy for horses. Nitrates will stay in the ground and crop for more than a decade - causing serious long term health issues for equines.
• Jaime Jacksons Paddock Paradise concept is an ideal grazing solution for our horses. It allows horses to live in an environment that mimics as close as possible the natural environment horses should be living in. It encourages horses to work for their food whilst stimulating body and mind and increasing overall health. The more natural movement the horse gets, the healthier your horse will be.
• Muzzles and strip grazing can help stop over indulging.
• Stressed/overgrazed grass can be the worst of all but often looks the least rich
• If you have the opportunity to safely turn your horse out in an area that has very little grass do so - I have a client who keeps her horses on an old flat quarry. There is a grassy area, but most of it is stony, rocky terrain. She provides good hay, water and a vitamin and mineral supplement. Here is her blog: www.barefootexperiment.blogspot.com